A California delivery driver, Michael Garcia, has been granted $50 million (approximately ₹433 crore) in damages after a jury convicted Starbucks of negligence in the handling of hot tea. The accident, which resulted in severe burns and permanent damage, occurred on February 8, 2020, The Guardian reports.

Garcia, a Postmates delivery driver, stopped at a Starbucks drive-thru in Los Angeles to order three venti "medicine ball" teas. He was given a cardboard tray containing the drinks, but one of the cups fell, leaving the lid off and the hot tea spilled onto his lap.

A video posted by Sky News showed Garcia in excruciating pain following the spill. His attorneys said the burns resulted in serious disfigurement of his penis, resulting in several skin grafts and persistent pain and psychological trauma.

Garcia's attorneys stated in a statement that his life has been “permanently altered” by the injuries. They further stated, “After a hospitalisation and multiple skin grafts, Michael has lived for five years with the disfigurement, pain, dysfunction, and psychological harm caused by the burns.”

The video of the accident has registered almost four million views, and most users of the site asked how the jury could have been so wrong in their decision. Some of them implied that the spill was due to Garcia himself. 

One posted, “Why is Starbucks or anyone else responsible for paying for this? I feel bad for him but it’s no one’s fault but his own.” Another user said, “He dropped the drink on himself. This verdict will be overturned.”

Starbucks stated that it intends to appeal the jury's ruling, asserting that they have had the best safety standards in their stores. “We sympathize with Mr. Garcia, but we disagree with the jury’s decision that we were at fault for this incident and believe the damages awarded to be excessive,” Starbucks said in a statement to NBC News.

Last year in April, a former JP Morgan worker was granted $35 million (approximately ₹292 crore) after she incurred permanent brain damage when a glass door exploded on her inside a New York City building in 2015.

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